Vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine, a generator, and a motor. The engine burns a gaseous mixture in a cylinder to output a drive force. The generator generates electricity by being rotated by the drive force outputted from the engine. The motor drives by utilizing electric power generated by the generator or electric power that has accumulated in a battery charged with electric power generated by the generator, and the motor thereby outputs a vehicle-running drive force. A case covering the motor is of larger diameter than a case covering a differential. The motor has an output shaft outputting the vehicle-running drive force, and has the output shaft disposed parallel to a vehicle width direction. The generator is disposed such that part of the generator overlaps an upper section of the case covering the differential.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-021983 filed on Feb. 9, 2017 with the Japanese Patent Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUNDField of the Disclosure[0002]The present disclosure relates to a vehicle that runs using a drive force outputted from a motor, the motor being driven using electric power generated using a drive force outputted from an engine or electric power accumulated in a battery.Discussion of the Related Art[0003]There is known from the past a series hybrid vehicle that drives a generating motor by an engine, stores thus generated electric power in a high energy battery, drives a drive motor by that electric power, and runs using only the drive motor as a prime mover (refer to Japanese Patent No. 6008051, for example). In the hybrid vehicle described in Japanese Patent No. 6008051, the engine and the gene...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention allows for a reduction in the size of an engine room in a vehicle, as the drive housing covering the motor is placed in a way that it overlaps with the engine or generator. This results in a smaller vehicle front-rear dimension. Additionally, the inverter is placed close to the generator and motor, which simplifies the connection between them and reduces the length of the necessary harnesses. Furthermore, the inverter is placed upward of the engine, which simplifies heat dissipation.

Problems solved by technology

However, in the vehicle described in Japanese Patent No. 6008051, because the rotary shaft of the generating motor and the output shaft of the electric motor are parallel to a vehicle width direction and the generating unit and the electric motor are disposed aligned in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, there is a risk that an engine room installed with the generating unit or electric motor lengthens in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and that, consequently, the vehicle ends up increasing in size in the front-rear direction.

As a result of the disclosure in which the engine is installed longitudinally, it is difficult for the piston to be affected by the engine swinging in the vehicle front-rear direction or by front-rear acceleration of the vehicle.

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